Add these must-haves to your school supply list

Wednesday

Jul 31, 2013 at 12:46 PM

Start planning now to get the latest accessories

By Will DraboldWill.Drabold@StarNewsOnline.com

Though the first day of school is still weeks away, Wilmington area stores are gearing up for back-to-school shopping. This fall's most popular products for elementary, middle and high-schoolers reflect trends toward accessorizing, practicality and, most importantly, fresh products, according to local and national purveyors of back-to-school products. "It's very important to stay on the cutting edge of the new releases because the kids know about that," said Shelley Hobson, owner of Learning Express' two Wilmington locations.

Consisting of dozens of tiny, colorful rubber bands knitted together to form bracelets, Rainbow Loom accessories have taken the playground by storm. Hobson expected the craze, which started two years ago, to slow down over the summer but children have continued snapping them up since school ended, she said. "What I like about that is it's a craft and it's great for focus," Hobson added, saying it's at the top of her back-to-school supply list. Shoulder buddies, small toys that magnetically attach to a grade-schooler's shoulder through a disk they place under their clothing, are also growing in popularity, Hobson said. A Rainbow Loom starter pack costs $14.99 and additional colored bands cost $3.99 apiece. Shoulder buddies start at $5.99 apiece.

Mirrors, shelves, wallpapers, dry erase boards and miniature chandeliers are high on shopping lists, as students look for ways to personalize their lockers. "Their lockers are their only place in school, beside their backpack, so we came up with some fun different ways they can accessorize their lockers," said Carrie McElwee, a spokeswomen for Staples. One brand, Lockerlookz, offers many different locker related products, ranging in price from $6.99 for a mirror to $24.99 for a chandelier measuring 5 inches in diameter.

Lunch boxes, a staple of K-12 education, are no longer simple squares with zippers bearing that day's meal. Today, lunch boxes come in thousands of varying colors, designs and brands, offering everything from "laptop lunches" with several compartments and neon-themed exteriors. Pack-It lunch boxes, with a gel lining that keeps food cold for 10-12 hours, and Open-Tec lunch boxes, an all-in-one food packaging option designed to make packing lunches for children easy, are both very popular, Hobson said. Open-Tec lunch boxes start at about $30.

The outsides of pencil cases, lunch boxes, notebooks and dozens of other school supplies are not often plain, something McElwee explains is a necessity. "For our exclusive design patterns, we work with a third-party research organization," McElwee said. "We work with research to come up with design to meet those trends. The hottest trend for this fall: neon, giving Staples and many other outlets the challenge of personalizing products they mass-produce. "We know that neon is huge," she added. "It's huge on the runway right now so of course it's going to be in our back-to-school selection."